Chosen Chapter 7: City of Darkness
by Dozo14
Summary: Trapped and isolated from the rest of the world, the Chosen and their closest allies and friends prepare to go to war against the Brotherhood. Meanwhile, Billie fights a personal battle and Violet fears someone she cares about will die.
1. Chapter 1

Chosen Chapter 7: City of Darkness

xxx

During a stormy morning just outside of San Francisco, Paige Matthews sat on a bench on a hill overlooking the city. Or at least, what used to be the city. All she could see was a giant magical dome of shadows that cut off everything and everyone inside from the rest of the world. She could not stand it and her hands would not stop twitching. It had been exactly nine days since the dome had appeared, nine days since she had seen everyone she loved. Since then, she had not been able to sleep or eat properly. All she did was wait for a way inside.

They were all trapped inside the dome. Henry was in there somewhere, just like her sisters and their children, Tyler, Billie and the others. There was no way of knowing they were even alive. Phoebe had just had her daughter a few weeks ago and Piper just found out she was pregnant. They were in no position to defend themselves to whatever caused the dome to appear. Why did she have to go take care of that stupid charge in Brazil when it happened?

"You need to get some sleep." Someone next to her suddenly said.

Paige looked to her side and saw a teenaged boy with spiky brown hair sitting next to her, dressed in a plaid shirt and jeans. However, despite his looks, he was not technically a boy anymore. He was an Elder.

"What are you doing here, Kevin?" Paige asked.

"I was worried about you." Kevin replied. "You can't keep sitting here waiting."

"Then what am I supposed to do?" Paige asked annoyed as she pointed at the dome. "Everyone I love is trapped in there."

"I know." Kevin replied. "We are doing everything we can, but it doesn't appear we can destroy it from the outside. It has to be destroyed from within."

"We have no idea what is going on in there." Paige retorted. "It has been nine days."

"We need to trust in the ones inside." Kevin said. "We need to have faith that the Chosen will save the city and defeat the Brotherhood."

"How do you know this Brotherhood is behind it?" Paige asked.

"They are the only ones capable of doing something like this." Kevin explained. "They sent a pair of warlock twins after the Chosen to distract us all. We did not know what was going on until it was too late. Luckily, we were at least able to send Mikelle in before it was too late."

"How are you able to keep this from the rest of the world?" Paige asked. "Magic should already be exposed. A huge shadowy dome is not exactly normal."

"We are working around the clock to prevent the mortals from discovering the truth." Kevin said. "The Elders and the Tribunal cast a powerful reality altering spell. The rest of the world is convinced the city is caught in a terrible storm that prevents all communication. Additionally, all Whitelighters and Cleaners have been assigned to prevent people from trying to reach the city."

"You must be running out of memory dust by now." Paige remarked.

"We are running short, yes." Kevin admitted. "Meanwhile, the spell is starting to weaken as well. We won't be able to keep this going for long. A few days at most."

"So it all comes down to the Chosen." Paige stated as she stared at the dome.

"Yes, but we both know them." Kevin said. "If anyone can do it, it is them."

"I guess you're right." Paige said with a faint smile, realizing he was right.

"Now you really need to get some sleep." Kevin said. "In case you forgot, I am an Elder, meaning I am your superior, and I am telling you to rest."

"Does that ever work?" Paige asked with a frown.

"No." Kevin admitted with a sigh. "Guess that is the downside of eternal youth, the world will always view me as just a kid."

"I know you mean well, Kevin." Paige said. "I will go to Magic School. Leo and Coop are there as well, they were also trapped outside when the dome appeared."

"Good. I will inform you as soon as there is news." Kevin replied.

As he finished, Kevin took a last look at the shadow dome and disappeared in a column of orbs. Paige sighed as she looked up. She reminded herself that she needed to have faith in Billie and the others as well. Kevin was right, they were the only people who could fix all of this. Feeling a little bit relieved, Paige focused on Magic School and disappeared in a flurry of orbs.

Xxx

Surrounded by total darkness, twenty-two year old Taylor woke up on a cold marble floor. She was confused and disoriented, having no idea where she was or how she got there. As she tried to move, she was suddenly overwhelmed with an unbearable hunger, one that she had never felt before. She grabbed her stomach in pain and cried out for help.

A door went open and a bright blinding light was cast into the room. Taylor squinted her eyes until they adapted to the light and saw it was a candle, held by a figure in a cloak. Suddenly memories were triggered and images flashed through her mind. Taylor was back at her dorm, when suddenly a woman appeared out nowhere. She placed a finger of her skin and she felt sick before passing out. Then she was dragged into a room where several cloaked figures were sitting around a table. She was thrown on the table and a man with brown hair and a leather jacket stabbed her.

Taylor screamed as she felt the blade pierce her skin all over again and reached for her neck, though there was no injury. The figure closed the door and kneeled down next to her. She removed her cloak and Taylor saw it was a beautiful young woman with wavy brown hair, hazel eyes and pale skin.

"Hush, my child." The woman said in a seductive voice. "They are only memories, nothing can hurt you now."

"What is this? Where am I?" Taylor called out in a panic. "Who are you?"

"Allow me to show you." The woman replied.

Before Taylor could respond, the woman placed her hands on her temples and closed her eyes. Taylor suddenly felt a connection and was dragged into a memory.

_Taylor was lying on the table, blood was gushing from a stab wound by her neck and was slowly spreading out across the table. A cloaked figure stood up and removed her cloak. It was the woman showing her the memory. She leaned over the table and opened her mouth. Fangs grew from the corners of her teeth as she took Taylor's arm. She then bit down on her wrist._

When the memory ended, Taylor quickly backed away from the woman in fear. It was impossible, but she knew exactly what the woman was. She was a vampire, but vampires weren't real, right? She was probably hallucinating or something. It was the only explanation. As she crawled over the floor, she was once again overwhelmed with hunger.

"What is happening to me?" She asked as she clenched her stomach.

"You are in transition." The vampire replied. "You are transforming into a vampire, but you will need to consume blood. You have been passed out for over a week, kept alive by magic. If you do not feed now, you will die."

"Why? Why did you do this to me?" Taylor asked tearfully, trembling with fear.

"I saw something in you. You are young and beautiful. Perfect for my clan." The vampire replied. "I felt it was a waste to let you die just because your blood was needed for some ritual. You have so much potential."

The vampire snapped her fingers and the door opened. Another woman with pale skin and long blonde hair came walking in. She was dragging along a young boy, eighteen at most. He was shirtless and barefoot, with only a pair of jeans on. The blonde threw him across the floor and he landed next to Taylor. He had short black hair and a cute, innocent face. There was a small cut on his neck. His blood smelled delicious for some reason. She could barely contain herself. What was happening to her? He was a boy, not something to eat.

"Please, I don't understand what is going on." The boy cried in tears. "I just want to go home."

"You need to feed or you will waste away." The vampire said. "Magic has kept you alive for this long, but only blood will grant you eternal life."

"I can't!" Taylor called out, even though the smell of blood was overwhelmingly sweet.

"Yes, you can, Taylor, you are strong." The vampire said with a hypnotic voice as she leaned over and whispered in her ear. "You could accomplish so much at my side. Drink his blood and accept me as your queen. Just give in."

Taylor cried out and she felt fangs grow at the corners of her teeth. The smell of blood was too much to handle, and she wanted to serve her queen for some reason. She wanted to obey, she felt like she had no choice. The hunger for blood took over. She turned around and threw herself on the boy, who screamed out as she sank her fangs deep in his neck.

His blood was sweet and fulfilling. She felt the warmth spread over her entire body and the hunger faded away with her humanity. She knew what she was now, she was a vampire, loyal to her queen, and she loved the taste of blood.

Xxx

As she heard a demonic howling behind her, Billie Jenkins ran across the dark streets of San Francisco in dark jeans and a leather jacket. Around her shoulder, she had a bag filled with food, everything she had managed to find on her hunt. She could not believe it had been nine days and she was already forced to steal in order to survive. At least she thought it was nine days, it was a little difficult to keep track in a city cloaked in eternal night.

Pretty much the entire city had fallen into decay, with riots and pillaging all over. Nobody knew what was going on, so everyone was panicking and going crazy. She and her friends had done the best they could trying to keep chaos from breaking out, but it was not easy. Luckily, not everyone had gone insane, the police was still out there to keep order, and most people had just bunkered up in their homes to wait out the storm. It was only the idiots causing trouble. However, the mortals were the least of her worries, the ones behind all of this, the Brotherhood, were still out there.

As the demonic growling behind her got louder, Billie levitated up and flip-flopped over a couple of cars. She looked over her shoulder and saw three separate pairs of red eyes chasing after her, Hellhounds. Bacarra had unleashed them in the city to spread terror and to let everyone know the Brotherhood was in charge. She knew she had to lose them fast, otherwise she would lead them directly to the hideout. She ran into an alley and levitated over a fence. She thought it would by her some time, though the Hellhounds simply slashed through it with their claws. She continued down the alley, but the hounds had caught up to her.

"Damn." Billie whispered as she was surrounded.

"Billie, go up!" A voice suddenly yelled.

As a reflex, Billie levitated up and grabbed a fire escape hanging above the alley. A tall and muscular build teenager with spiky blonde hair ran into the alley and held out his hands. A huge stream of fire erupted from his hands. The almost invisible Hellhounds cried out in pain as they were scorched with the flames and quickly ran off. When they were gone, the boy stopped the fire and Billie jumped down to the alley.

"Who would have suspected Hellhounds were afraid of fire?" the boy remarked with a proud smile, however, Billie was not amused and she quickly punched him in the chest. "Aw, what the hell?" he called out.

"What the hell are you doing here, Tyler!?" Billie snapped at him. "I told you to stay with the sisters and Henry. It is not safe out here."

"Hey, I can take care of myself." Tyler retorted. "I don't need to be babysat. I want to help."

"You were helping by protecting Piper and Phoebe and their children." Billie replied. "How are they?"

"They were fine when I left." Tyler said. "They got the entire manor protected with spells and crystals, and Henry is there to protect them from non-magical threats. Nothing is getting in there. They can handle themselves."

"Do they know you left?" Billie asked.

"I left a note." Tyler replied with a shrug.

"Tyler, you are too young for this. You're just a kid." Billie said.

"No, I am not a kid anymore. I just turned eighteen." Tyler argued. "Besides, I am also taller and stronger than you."

"Yeah, I noticed." Billie said as she rubbed her painfully throbbing hand. "Seriously, when did you start working out? Hitting you in the chest was like hitting steel."

"It's no big deal." Tyler said with a smug smile as he crossed his muscular arms.

"Okay, don't get cocky, Johnny Bravo." Billie remarked. "We need to get off the street. Follow me."

Billie led Tyler further down the alley and stopped at a door that was boarded up. Tyler looked confused, since it appeared there was no getting in, but Billie simply knocked three times and then stepped through, causing the wood to ripple as she passed it. She appeared in a small and dark office filled with posters of various bands and singers. A moment later, Tyler followed her.

"Welcome to P3." Billie said with a smile.

"P3?" Tyler asked confused.

"Yeah, Piper had to close for renovations, so it appears to be shut down from the outside." Billie explained. "So for now, we're using it as our base of operations. And since we're using magic to cloak us, the Brotherhood has been unable to find us."

"Awesome." Tyler said.

"Come on." Billie said.

Billie guided Tyler out of the office and to the club, where everyone else had gathered. They had been staying there for a few days now. They had tried to make it somewhat livable, but it was hardly home sweet home. Mikelle took care of cloaking the club, while Duncan and Violet took care of everything else. They had picked up a handful of witches and other magical beings along the way, and they were building a small resistance to the Brotherhood. However, so far any attempt to take down the shadow dome had failed miserably.

"So what is the plan?" Tyler asked excited.

"I wish I knew." Billie replied with a reluctant sigh, knowing she had been trying to answer the same question for days. "I wish I knew…"

xxx


	2. Chapter 2

Chosen Chapter 7: City of Darkness

Part 2

Xxx

In a luxurious and modern house overlooking the bay area, the warlock Bacarra leaned against the railing of the balcony as he looked up at the dome. Dressed in an open hanging black bathrobe with red silk boxers underneath, he sipped from a glass of scotch. The plan had worked perfectly, the spell he cast had pulled the entire city in darkness and everything inside now belonged to them. It was a perfectly evil world with the Brotherhood in control.

Territories had been divided between the members and each gained what they wanted. Bacarra gained access to all things magic, the vampires had unlimited fresh blood and the Creepers came into possession of all spirits that remained trapped after death. A perfect utopia that would sustain them all for decades to come. And when the city was nothing but an empty ruin, they would simply move on to the next.

When Bacarra heard some sounds coming from the bedroom, he turned around and walked inside. Klea was lying on the bed in a seductive little purple set of lingerie. After the plan had succeeded, they had both finally given in to their desire for each other.

"Come back to bed, the sun won't rise for another… ever." Klea said temptingly.

"I wish I could." Bacarra replied. "I still have a city to run."

"Correction, we have a city to run." Klea said as she sat up. "Do not forget that I now have a seat at the table. And I have yet to get my own territory."

"Don't you want to share?" Bacarra asked.

"I have earned it." Klea replied annoyed as she stood up and covered herself in a robe. "For years, I did everything you asked of me. Now it is my turn."

"Then what do you want exactly?" Bacarra asked.

"Give me control over the city." Klea replied as she walked over to him. "I am tired of the chaos and those vandals and criminals destroying the streets. Allow me to organize a new order in the city, where the mortals bow down to our rule."

"My, my, you are very ambitious, aren't you?" Bacarra remarked as he let his hand caress her cheek. "No wonder you're so irresistible."

"Well, I know what I want and I know how to get it." Klea replied as she took his drink from his hand and took a sip. She then leaned in and kissed him, letting her hand rest on his bare chest. "So how about you get me what I want, and I will help you get what you want."

"And what is that?" Bacarra asked.

"The Chosen." Klea replied. "They are the only threat out there and I know you have not been able to find them yet."

"They are not a threat, just a minor inconvenience." Bacarra replied casually.

"And what if they find out how to break the spell?" Klea asked.

"What would you know about that?" Bacarra asked suspiciously.

"It is not that hard to figure out." Klea admitted. "I was there when you cast the spell. It is quite an obvious loophole actually. It won't take long for the witches to figure it out."

Klea turned around and walked over to the walk-in closet. She let her robe fall off her slender form and put on a little black dress with a dark grey blazer over it. She walked back into the room and sat down to put on her heels.

"Where are you going?" Bacarra asked.

"Like you said, we have a city to run." Klea replied. "And if I want to have it my way, I need to have a little chat with those formerly in charge."

"And what about us?" Bacarra asked.

"I am sure you will be able to entertain yourself for a few hours in your little haven." Klea replied with a faint smile.

Klea disappeared in a shimmer as her eyes glowed red for a moment. Bacarra sighed and he turned around and closed his robe. He called out the name of his number one minion and a moment later, a scruffy looking young warlock called Rickon appeared in a blink. He ordered him to do whatever it took to track down the Chosen and his minion quickly disappeared again. The dome did have a fatal flaw, but he had not expected Klea to figure it out so soon. He had to ensure that the Chosen were dealt with before they found out.

Xxx

In the safe house formerly known as P3, Violet walked across the club handing out blankets to the refugee magical beings they had taken in. Life in the dome was difficult for everyone, but magical beings had it the hardest, as they are a constant target to the Brotherhood. At least they could offer safety to a few of them. After running out of blankets, Violet sat down on a bar stool and grabbed a bottle of water. As usual, the moment she took her break, her mind wandered to Arthur. She was glad he was safe outside of the city, but she missed him as well. She wished she could get a premonition about him or something.

"How are you doing?" Duncan asked as he sat down next to her.

"Could you please stop asking me that?" Violet asked with a sigh. "We're all in the same mess, aren't we?"

"True, but that doesn't mean I can't worry about my friends." Duncan replied.

"So how are you doing?" Violet asked in return. "Still obsessing over your warlock boyfriend?"

"Okay, first, he is not my boyfriend, second, he is not a warlock, and third of all, no, I am not obsessing over him." Duncan replied annoyed. "I am sure they got out of the city long before the dome came up. They are probably half-way around the world by now."

"Right, so not obsessing?" Violet asked.

"No." Duncan replied somewhat doubtful. "Hey, what is Tyler doing here? I thought he was with the Charmed Ones?"

Violet followed Duncan's gaze and saw Billie and a surprisingly grown-up Tyler coming in through the back office. He had sure changed since they last saw him a few months ago. As Billie waved them over, Violet and Duncan got up and joined them in the back of the club, which was used as a meeting area to discuss their plans. As they arrived, Billie threw a small bag on the table. Violet realized disappointed that it was all the food she had managed to gather.

"I got attacked by Hellhounds." Billie said as she opened the bag. "Looks like we need ration even more from now on."

"Well, a least we still got plenty of booze in the club to drown our sorrows." Duncan remarked.

"So why is Tyler here exactly?" Violet asked.

"I want to help." Tyler said. "I am ready for it."

"He just showed up." Billie added with a shrug. "It was too dangerous to send him back alone."

"Hey, I can take care of myself." Tyler said annoyed.

"You can say that again." Violet remarked under her breath as she looked at his impressively massive arms.

"We need to discuss the next step. We can't wait around forever." Billie said. "Where are Mikelle and Hope?"

"Mikelle is still stuck in her Zen mode, trying to contact the outside world." Duncan explained. "Hope went out a few hours ago to scout the area."

At that moment, the back door flew open and Hope stepped in. She was dressed in a dark green jacket, faded jeans and brown boots, with a sword strapped to her back. She was slightly covered in dirt and had a few scratches. The current Guardian of Pandora's Box had joined their little rebellion a few days after the dome had appeared, after she had secured the box in safe hiding spot. They were lucky to have her on their side, as she was awesome at kicking demonic ass.

"What happened to you?" Billie asked concerned.

"Ran into a small swarm of vampires." Hope explained with a sigh as she dropped her sword on the table. "Who is the life-sized ken doll?" She added as she nodded at Tyler.

"That's Tyler, he is just visiting." Billie replied, and quickly hushed him before he started to argue again. "Are you hurt? We can get Mikelle to heal you."

"I am fine, just a few scratches." Hope replied. "And not to worry, guardians are immune to demonic infections. I think I am pretty close to figuring out where their queen is hiding."

Hope grabbed a map of the city lying on the table and used a red marker to point out all spots where she had run into vampires. They all knew the Brotherhood had abandoned their former penthouse and spread across the city, but this was the first time they had gotten a lead to their new locations. When Hope was finished, a large area surrounded Golden Gate Park.

"The vampire nest is in the park?" Billie asked with a frown.

"It makes sense when you think about it." Duncan replied. "Typically, vampires have to avoid the sun, meaning they can't be out in public for too long. Now that it is eternal night, they can remain outside as long as they want."

"And enjoy the nice scenery apparently." Billie remarked. "So you want to take them out?"

"Well, if we take the queen out, we destroy the entire hive." Hope said. "It would end one of the biggest threats in the city."

"But if we attack one of the Brotherhood members now, the others could go even deeper into hiding." Duncan said. "They are not going to take changes if they know we're targeting them."

"So we need to attack them all at the same time?" Violet asked. "That would mean we need to split up. That is too dangerous, we're strongest as a collective."

"Besides, we have no idea where the others are." Billie added.

"Actually, we might." Mikelle said as she suddenly joined them at the table in a swirl of tiny blue orbs.

"What do you mean?" Billie asked.

"You know I have been trying to contact the outside world, right?" Mikelle said. "So far, I have not succeeded, but I did detect something else. The dome is preventing spirits from crossing over."

"So everyone who dies in the dome is stuck here?" Duncan asked. "That is horrible."

"Yeah, but that is not all." Mikelle continued and she pointed to a warehouse district on the map. "All spirits are being drawn to a very specific spot, which is right here."

"So something is collecting spirits." Billie said. "What happens to them?"

"I don't know, they just disappear, like they cease to exist." Mikelle replied.

"Could something be feeding on them?" Duncan asked with a disgusted face.

"Could be, there are a couple of demons that feed on spirits." Mikelle said. "We won't know for sure unless we investigate."

"So we have two targets, on either side of the city." Billie concluded as she studied the map. "These are the best leads we have had so far. We can't waste them. We have to make a move. We suspect that both the vampire queen and this other demon are members of the Brotherhood, right? If we can take them out at the same time, Bacarra is the only one left."

"He is also the most dangerous." Violet replied.

"We have to take a vote on this, I think." Duncan suggested.

"Okay, I vote for action." Billie said.

Everyone at the table took a vote. Billie, Hope and Mikelle were all for direct action, and Duncan seemed to agree with them for the most part as well. Tyler also wanted to fight, though nobody really took his vote seriously. That meant that only Violet was against the idea. She hated the idea of splitting up, as she felt something horrible would happen, but she guessed she was outnumbered.

"I guess it is decided." Violet noted reluctantly.

"I know it is not perfect, Vi, but the longer we wait and do nothing, the worse it will get." Billie said.

"I know that." Violet admitted.

"Alright, we will need to divide into two teams." Billie said. "Any suggestions?"

"Well, vampires are immune to the powers of witches." Hope said. "So I think I should head there in any case."

"Agreed." Billie said. "And since I know how to best defend myself without my powers, I think I should be on team fang as well."

"What about me?" Tyler asked. "Vampires are immune to Wiccan powers, but I am a Firestarter. Vampires are weak against fire."

"I hate to say it, but he does have a point." Hope admitted.

"Oh great, so we're not team fang, we're team blonde." Billie remarked dryly.

"So that leaves Mikelle, Violet and me on the other team." Duncan concluded. "Perhaps that is best, since we have the most magical knowledge and we don't know what we will be facing."

"So we all agree?" Billie asked.

Slowly everyone nodded until all eyes were focused on Violet. She still could not shake the feeling that this was a bad idea, but she had little choice but to go along with it. She just hoped they would all make it out of this alive. She did not want to think about it, but last night she had a dream about an empty grave, and she wasn't entirely sure it was just a dream. She was afraid that someone she cared about was going to die.

Xxx

When large glass doors swung open, Taylor was guided into a large tropical garden by two other vampires. Similar to the others, she was now dressed entirely in black and dark red. She wore a crimson tube top and black leather pants and black heels. Around her neck she had a necklace with a red jewel shaped like a drop of blood. She headed to the center of the garden and kneeled down.

Her queen was sitting on a red longue chaise dressed in a stunning red dress, surrounded by her undead children. The entire hive was young and beautiful, carefully selected by the queen herself. A male vampire was kneeling down next to her and held a chalice of blood.

"Stand up, my dear." The Queen said and padded on the chaise. "Please join me. Everyone else may leave."

Each vampire slowly nodded and quickly left. Nervously, Taylor stood up and sat down next to her queen. "How may I serve you, my Queen?"

"No need to be so formal when we're alone, dear." The Queen said. "You may call me Irena. I wanted to talk to you about your friend, Billie. Remember her?"

Hearing the name of her former friend triggered a memory. She was lying on a table, bound and about to die. A voice sounded in her mind. "_The reason you are here is because of your friend Billie. She has been lying to you all this time_." It was the last thing she had heard before she died. Somehow she knew it was true. Billie had been lying to her and she hated her for it. She was not a friend anymore, she wanted her blood. If she ever saw Billie again, she was going to die.

xxx


	3. Chapter 3

Chosen Chapter 7: City of Darkness

Part 3

Xxx

Several hours after forging their final plans of attack, Billie and her group set out to confront the vampires, while the others headed out to discover which demon was taking all spirits in the city. As part of her preparations, Billie had armed herself with wooden stakes and a crucifix she had created from pieces of wood at the club. Hope and Tyler were equally equipped, although they still had active powers to depend on against those bloodsuckers. Only Billie's powers would not work against them, since vampires were immune to the powers of witches.

The group quickly traveled through alleys and small roads and avoided being seen, as there were other dangers out there than just vampires. Hellhounds were always on the hunt and even groups of mortals had turned into violent savages. The entire city had gone insane.

"We're getting close." Hope reported after leaping down a small building with a somersault. "The park is just ahead of us. From now on, we need to be extra careful since this is vampire territory."

"Why don't we just go in charging?" Tyler asked.

"Because we need the Queen." Billie replied. "If we get detected, she will flee before we get a chance to vanquish her."

"But don't vampires have like super senses and stuff?" Tyler asked. "How will we sneak in?"

"With these." Billie said as she reached into her small backpack and revealed three potion bottles. "Duncan made them, they will mask our scent."

"God, it smells awful." Hope remarked with a disgusted face as she smelled the potion. "And we're supposed to drink these?"

"I am afraid so." Billie replied. "Apparently, the smell will counter our human scent and neutralize their enhanced senses."

"And chase away everything else in the process." Tyler remarked as he caught a whiff.

"Alright, enough complaining. We need to move." Billie said.

Billie opened her own potion and closed her nose and she poured it down. The awful smell caused her entire body to shiver in disgust, but she managed to keep it down. Hope and Tyler exchanged reluctant looks and then drank their potions as well. After all three of them had gotten over the horrible experience, they decided to move ahead. When they reached the edge of the park, Billie and Hope both leaped over the fence and Billie used her telekinetic power to lift Tyler over as well. They quickly crossed the park while avoiding being seen. Eventually, they took refuge in some bushes near the conservatory, a large Victorian style greenhouse.

"I think they are in there." Hope whispered.

Billie looked ahead and saw two men dressed in black dragging a young woman into the greenhouse while she screamed and struggled. Billie figured she had to be their next meal.

"We have to save her." Tyler said as he stood up, though Billie quickly pulled him down.

"There is nothing we can do." Billie quickly said, even though she hated it with every fiber of her being. "If we're lucky, we can vanquish the Queen before they kill her, but if we go after her, we blow our cover and the queen gets away."

"Then we need to hurry." Tyler said angrily.

"I know." Billie replied determined as she wrapped her hand tightly around a stake. "They will pay for what they have done."

"Remember, the queen is the target. Only she matters." Hope whispered. "The rest is dead as soon as we take her out."

"Got it." Billie replied with a nod. "Let's do this."

Billie and the others got up and ran over to the greenhouse. As they reached the door, Billie was briefly caught off guard by a female vampire at the door, though Hope vanquished her with a stake before she could raise the alarm. They entered the greenhouse and headed to the main hall. When they reached the door, three vampires suddenly ran in, though Tyler raised his arms and quickly turned them to ashes with a powerful blast of fire. Their screams echoed through the room.

"Well, they know we're here now." Billie remarked. "Let's finish this."

Billie kicked open the door and stepped in a large round room with various plants of flowers everywhere. There was a square in the middle of the room with a fountain filled with blood. An attractive woman with wavy brown hair sat on the edge of the fountain, dressed in a red dress. She ran a golden chalice through the blood and took a sip. Somehow Billie knew it was the Queen. Why would she show herself like this? I made no sense, unless it was a trap. Billie looked up and saw the ceiling was crawling with bats. She nudged her friends and signaled them to look up.

"Why have you invaded my home?" the Queen asked.

"We're here to kill you." Hope said. "This city does not belong to you. How many innocent people have you killed already?"

"People die in this city each day. Disease, accidents, crime, it doesn't matter." The Queen replied. "Compared to that, the few lives I take are almost meaningless."

"Almost, but not quite." Billie replied. "Are you are a member of the Brotherhood?"

"Of course, but you had already figured that out." The Queen replied. "And now you've come here in an attempt to find a way to free the city."

"How do we bring down the dome?" Billie asked.

"Dome? Is that what you're calling it?" the Queen asked amused.

"She is not going to talk. Let's just kill her." Tyler said.

"Well, what do we have here?" The Queen asked with an amused smile as she let her eyes roll over him. "Such a handsome boy… and that body… I could just eat it."

"Forget it, you undead bitch." Tyler snapped at her.

The Queen hissed at him as she stood up. She circled the fountain and placed her chalice on the edge. She then raised her hand and the bats of the ceiling swarmed down around her. When they landed on the ground, they each turned into a growling and angry vampire. Billie and the others backed up and found themselves surrounded by at least twenty vampires. Tyler raised his hands and fire formed at his fingers, while Billie raised her stake in a defensive stance.

"Try to keep the pretty one alive. I can always use another plaything." The Queen said.

"Wait, is Tyler the pretty one?" Billie remarked disappointed. "Damn, I thought I was."

"You're Billie, right?" the Queen asked. "I knew you would come eventually, so I have a little surprise for you."

The queen waved her hand and stepped aside. Billie looked up as a final bat flew down from the ceiling and landed next to the Queen. When the vampire changed form, it assumed the form of a young woman with caramel skin and brown hair. Billie gasped as the vampire looked at her with pure hate in her eyes. Billie dropped her stake and stepped back. The others asked her what was wrong, but she barely heard them and did not respond. All she could do was stare at Taylor in utter shock.

Xxx

Across the eternally dark city, Duncan and the others arrived at the warehouse district. He was surprised to see how quickly the city had fallen in decay each time he went outside. Stores had been pillaged and robbed empty, cars were on set fire and everyone had gone insane. He could understand people being scared and confused, but he didn't get the violence. What was the point of it all? He looked at the others and noticed both Mikelle and Violet were quiet. Violet had been quiet all day and Duncan wondered what was wrong. She was upset about something and clearly did not think splitting up was a good idea. What was going on with her?

"Are we getting close?" Duncan asked to break the silence.

"I think so." Mikelle replied. "I can definitely sense the spiritual energy getting stronger."

"How can the dome prevent spirits from moving on?" Violet asked. "I mean, they are incorporeal after all."

"I don't think we're dealing with a simple dome here." Duncan said.

"What do you mean?" Violet asked with a frown.

"I think it is more than that." Duncan explained. "I mean, things don't really make sense. It is night all the time, like time is all twisted up or something. We can't leave the city or even sense or communicate with the rest of the world. It is like they're not there, or like we're not."

"Like we're not actually here…" Mikelle reasoned. "And not even spirits can move on. We're literally cut off from everything."

"Exactly." Duncan said with a nod.

"Wait, so what does that mean?" Violet asked confused.

"I think it means were not just trapped inside a dome." Duncan replied. "It means we're somehow stuck outside of time and space."

"So the dome is not an actual dome, but a dimensional lock or something." Mikelle guessed. "The Brotherhood literally moved us between dimensions."

"I am not sure I am following, but this doesn't sound very good." Violet remarked.

"It's worse than we originally thought." Mikelle explained. "Since we now exist outside of time and space, we're out of reach of everything. The Elders and the Tribunal, even the Angels of Destiny and Death. They can't do anything for us."

"So does that mean we're screwed?" Violet asked.

"Not exactly." Duncan replied, though he wasn't entirely sure. "Bacarra probably had to cast a powerful spell to pull this off. But in theory, every spell has a weakness."

"In theory?" Violet asked.

"Yeah, we just need to find out what it is." Duncan said.

"Knowing Bacarra, it won't be easy." Violet replied with a sigh.

"Well, let's hope we'll find some answers soon, I think we're here." Mikelle said.

Duncan stopped and looked ahead. They were standing on a parking lot of a large warehouse complex that looked deserted. He wondered why the demons would hide here when they had the entire city under their control. It didn't make a lot of sense. Unless they were the kind of creepy creatures that loved damp and dark places, of course.

"This is creepy." Violet said.

"The spirits are definitely being drawn here." Mikelle said as she closed her eyes and focused. "I can sense they are being trapped here somehow. Something is keeping them against their wills."

"Then we need to stop it." Duncan said determined.

"Okay, let's do this." Mikelle replied. "I will orb us inside."

Duncan and Violet joined hands with Mikelle and a moment later, they were carried away by millions of orbs. They reappeared on a small metal walkway on the first floor of the warehouse. Duncan quickly snuck to the edge and looked down. The warehouse was dark and filled with old shipping containers. In the middle of the room, there was a large hole in the floor leading to what appeared to be a sewer. However, something else that caught his eye.

The entire warehouse was engulfed in a soft pale glow. A large glowing sphere of a silvery liquid hovered in the air, rippling like water. Tormented screams sounded from inside and Duncan could see spirits fighting to get out. Around it, several large cloaked figures were standing in a circle their clawed arms raised.

"What the hell is that?" Mikelle asked.

"Some kind of magical container, look!" Duncan replied.

Duncan pointed his finger at the window when a disembodied spirit flew in and was forcefully drawn into the silvery sphere. It was a horrible sight to see the spirit struggle and Duncan heard Violet gasp behind him.

"Something else is happening." Mikelle whispered.

Duncan looked the other way and saw another cloaked demon rise up from the hole in the floor. It was a large demon with pale white skin and black eyes. It had no mouth and its sockets were darkened. The demon crossed the warehouse almost like it was floating, though Duncan could not tell if it had feet or something else under those cloaks.

When the demon reached the sphere, it raised its claws and they started to glow. A spirit was drawn from the sphere and cried out as it was pulled toward the demon. The spirit dissolved in pale mist as it was absorbed into the claws. Its pained cries echoed through the warehouse as it was consumed by the demon. Duncan angrily realized these creeps were using the spirits as simple snacks.

"We need to stop these monsters." Duncan said determined.

Xxx

Back at the greenhouse, Billie stood nailed to the ground as her widened eyes were focused on Taylor. She could not believe her friend was there. How could this have happened? It did not make sense. Taylor seemed to glare at her with a look of pure hate. Was Billie somehow responsible for this? How long had she been like this? She needed to know. Meanwhile, the vampires closed in and surrounded them, all hissing and desperate for their blood.

"Billie, snap out of it!" Tyler called out as he raised his hands and formed a large circle of fire around them to keep the vampires at bay.

"Billie, we need you here." Hope added.

"Taylor." Billie whispered, not able to focus on anything else. "What happened?"

"Hello Billie." Taylor replied in a cold tone as she walked to the circle of fire. "Surprised to see me?"

"How did this happen?" Billie asked.

"How? Don't you see? This is all your fault." Taylor replied.

"What?" Billie asked shocked.

"You lied to me, Billie. You have been lying to me as long as we know each other." Taylor said. "I know you're a witch. You're the entire reason I am here. My friendship with you got me killed. It is all your fault."

Suddenly, Billie felt someone grab her arm and she turned to look at Hope. "Don't listen to her, Billie. She is not your friend anymore. She is one of them. She is only trying to distract you." Hope said desperately. "We need to fight."

"But Taylor…" Billie replied weakly.

"You can't save her anymore." Hope said. "Remember the mission, kill the Queen."

"What is it going to be, Billie?" Taylor asked mockingly. "Are you going to kill me, like you killed your sister? How you got your parents killed?"

"Don't listen to her, Billie." Hope pleaded. "We need you to get out of this. Tyler won't be able to hold them off forever."

"Yeah, any time now." Tyler remarked as he increased his flames to repel the vampires further.

Billie looked at Taylor and felt overwhelmed. She did not just saw her friend anymore, but the faces of everyone that had died because of her. Her sister and her parents. She stumbled back and cried out in frustration. She did not know what to do. She could not kill her friend, but if she didn't, she would be responsible for the deaths of even more loved ones.

Suddenly, there was a loud explosion and one of the glass walls of the greenhouse shattered. Billie was thrown off her feet and hit her head as she crashed on the floor. All around her, she heard people scream and fight and suddenly felt a hand around her neck. She looked up and saw Taylor revealing her fangs, preparing to rip open her throat.

xxx


	4. Chapter 4

Chosen Chapter 7: City of Darkness

Part 4

Xxx

As her ears were still ringing from the explosion, Billie struggled as she felt an iron grip around her throat. For some reason, the wall had exploded and there was chaos all around her. She looked up at her undead friend and saw the blood lust in Taylor's eyes. She could not believe her friend was now this monster. Maybe there was still a way to save her. She had to try somehow.

"Taylor, please." Billie whispered weakly.

"Stop begging, Billie. It is pointless." Taylor said. "I am this way because of you. And now, I am going to repay the favor."

Taylor lifted Billie off the floor with one hand and tossed her across the room. Billie crashed against the wall and before she could even gasp, Taylor charged at her in superhuman speed and hit her across the face.

"Taylor, this isn't you. Fight it." Billie called out as she raised her arms defensively.

"This is who I am now, Billie." Taylor replied as she continued to punch her former friend. "There is no coming back from being undead. And for you, there will be no coming back from death at all."

Taylor launched another punch, though Billie grabbed her arm and twisted it. She turned and shoved her friend against the wall, trapping her in a lock. She looked over her shoulder for the others and saw nothing but chaos. While Hope was engaged in a fight with three vampires, Tyler was standing further back and throwing streams of fire at every undead demon in sight. However, that was not all. Several heavily armed men entered through the shattered wall and started fighting the vampires with stakes and crossbows.

"Pay attention." Taylor suddenly called out.

Taylor broke free of her hold and kicked Billie in the chest. The blonde witch stumbled back and tripped. A second later, Taylor leaped down and pinned her to the ground. Her former friend hovered over her and Billie saw her fangs coming closer.

Just when Taylor was about to rip open her throat, water was splashed over them and Taylor fell back crying out in pain. The water was somehow burning her. Someone grabbed Billie by the arm and lifted her up. She turned and found herself looking in the deep brown eyes of Jake. Her heart skipped a beat. How was he here? She did not understand, but she was happy to see him.

"Quiet slacking off, we have a vampire nest to vanquish." Jake said as he pressed a stake in her hand. "Where is the Queen?"

Billie looked around and saw the Queen leave the room with a couple of her minions. "Over there." She said as she pointed at the door.

'Alright, come on." Jake said.

"No wait." Billie replied as she held onto him. "Taylor is my friend. If we vanquish the Queen, she dies."

"Billie, she is beyond help. You know that." Jake said. "The moment newborn vampires drink blood, they lose their souls."

"There has to be a way." Billie argued.

"There isn't." Jake replied.

"He is right, Billie." Taylor replied as she leaped up from the ground with a flip. "I drank blood and I loved it. He was a sweet kid, his blood was delicious. I live to serve my queen now. And with this little distraction, she managed to get away."

"Taylor, please." Billie begged.

"Next time I see you, Billie, one of us is going to die." Taylor replied.

Taylor smiled and turned into a bat before flying away. The handful remaining vampires did the same and soon the swarm disappeared from the greenhouse. Billie realized the Queen was long gone. She had screwed up.

"Dammit." Jake cursed as he tossed his stake to the ground. "There goes our best shot."

"Billie, are you alright?" Hope asked concerned when she and Tyler ran over.

"I'm fine. Just, I don't know." Billie replied. "What about the two of you?"

"We're fine. A little bruised." Tyler said. "What happened? Why did you hesitate?"

"I'm sorry. Taylor is one of my best friends." Billie explained. "Seeing her like that, it was a shock."

"That was exactly what the Queen wanted." Jake said.

Billie looked at Jake and only then noticed he was dressed in the same way as the armed men, like he was part of a SWAT team or something. He looked unshaven and tired, yet still handsome as ever. She realized she had missed him and had been worried about him, even though they left things on difficult terms.

"Jake, where have you been? Who are these men?" Billie asked.

"I am not just a hunter, Billie. I am a cop as well." Jake explained. "There are people who depend on me. Nobody knew what was going on or how to fight it, so I had to teach them. I took a group of loyal and capable people and I set out to fight these monsters. We were this close to ambushing the vampires, until you showed up."

"Wait, are you blaming me now?" Billie asked confused.

"You hesitated, Billie." Jake said angrily. "You knew your friend was lost the moment you saw her, but you let your emotions get in the way and you hesitated."

"Well, sorry!" Billie called out angrily. "I am sorry that I am not a cold and heartless hunter like you. I am a witch, I don't kill my friends."

"If you want to survive, you will need to change that." Jake replied. "You might think you're some kind of super witch or something, but this is real. You can die just as easily as anyone else."

"What do you care?" Billie snapped at him.

Billie could not even grasp the attitude he was giving her. Taylor was her friend and he just expected he could flip a switch and kill her? That might be the hunter way, but she was not like that. She was furious with him, though despite everything, the thing she wanted to do most of all was kiss him. She hated having these mixed feelings. They stared at each other for a moment.

"We need to get out of here." Jake said to break the silence. "You should come with us."

"I don't think so." Billie replied. "My friends are tired and hurt. We go our own way."

"Fine, then just stay out of our way." Jake said disappointed, before he turned to his men. "Alright, pull out, we still got some undead killers to track down."

Billie waited as Jake and his men started clearing out. When he was about to leave the greenhouse, Jake looked over his shoulder, though she ignored him. The last thing she needed right now was to deal with him. She had too much to figure out already. She needed to figure out if she could do what needed to be done where Taylor was concerned.

Xxx

Back at the warehouse, Violet nervously played with her hair as she waited for the others to get back. As she waited, her eyes kept being drawn to the silvery sphere containing the spirits. It was like some awful prison cell and she felt horrible for the spirits trapped inside. When Violet had asked what kind of demons they were dealing with, Mikelle had told her it were Creeper Demons, who fed on the spirits of the deceased. They could absorb spirits and manipulate ectoplasm, which was what the sphere was made off. Also, he fact that they were telepathic made them very unpredictable.

Violet nearly shrieked when someone placed a hand on her shoulder, though she let out a relieved sigh when she saw it was Duncan and Mikelle.

"What is the plan?" Violet asked.

"We found a way to sneak down and ambush them." Duncan explained. "I got plenty of potions in my bag to take care of them."

"Are you sure?" Violet asked.

"Pretty much." Duncan said. "We knew this was going to be risky. We can't back down, especially since we know what is happening to the spirits now. Are you okay with that?"

"I don't want these spirits to suffer any longer, but getting killed is not going to help them." Violet replied concerned.

"What is going on with you?" Duncan asked. "You have been nervous all day. Is something wrong? Did you have a premonition?"

"I am not sure." Violet admitted reluctantly. "I had a dream about an empty grave. But it felt like more than a dream. I am afraid someone is going to die."

"Do you have any idea who?" Mikelle asked.

"No, all I see is the grave, and in my dream I felt sadness and pain." Violet said. "This is why I did not want to split up in the first place, because someone I care about might die."

"Violet, if we do nothing, we are all going to die at some point." Duncan replied. "We don't know how much this dome is affecting your powers. Could it be it was just a dream?"

"I don't know." Violet admitted. "I just can't shake this horrible thought."

"Guys, I know this is tough, but if we want to take out the Creepers. We have to move." Mikelle said. "You need to remember you're powerful witches, the Chosen. We can do this… You can do this."

Duncan and Mikelle both looked at Violet and she felt a little cornered. She knew being a witch and fighting evil was her destiny, but that didn't make it easier. Least of all with that empty grave in the back of her mind. She looked at the silvery sphere containing the spirits. She could not let those trapped inside suffer. And she did not want anyone she cared about getting trapped in there. She could not let that happen.

"Alright." Violet eventually said.

Violet followed the others down a small set of stairs and past several empty shipping containers. They quietly snuck around the warehouse until they were only a few feet away from the sphere. Being this close to it caused Violet to feel sick and she wanted to throw up. However, that could also be due to nerves. Duncan whispered some instructions to Mikelle and she headed to the left. Violet then followed him further to the right. When they crossed a corner, Duncan stopped.

"Alright, you stay here until you hear the signal." Duncan said as he pressed some potions in her hands. "I am going to circle back and attack the Creepers from that direction."

"So what is the signal?" Violet asked.

"You'll know it when you hear it." Duncan replied with a nervous smile. "Vi, about your premonition. I mean, you could be wrong, right?"

"I wish I could tell you more, Duncan." Violet replied. "I just don't know."

"Well, then we just hope for the best." Duncan replied with a fake sense of optimism.

Duncan turned and quickly headed back around the corner. As she waited for the signal, Violet peeked across the corner. They all seemed focused on maintaining the sphere, though it was difficult to tell with their blank and emotionless faces. The one that had consumed a spirit earlier, whom Violet suspected was the leader, was slowly circling the sphere. Suddenly Duncan ran into the middle of the room and a crossbow appeared in his hand in an orange glow.

"Hey ugly." Duncan called out.

When the demons turned to face him, Duncan fired his crossbow and struck one of the demons in the chest. Without making a sound, it stumbled back as a pale white liquid oozed from the wound. The leader raised its claw and formed a ball of what looked like plasma. It threw the sphere at Duncan, though before it could hit, Duncan disappeared in an orange glow. Only then did Violet realize it was actually an astral projection.

"Now!" Duncan yelled from another side of the room.

Violet grabbed a potion and turned the corner. One of the demons turned to her and formed another plasma ball, though Violet threw her potion and the demon exploded in a blast of fire. At the same time, Duncan and Mikelle also threw potions and vanquished the other demons, leaving only the one in charge.

"_Fools, you have no idea who you are dealing with_." The demon telepathically spoke.

"Let me guess, the brotherhood?" Duncan remarked. "Your little operation is over."

"_You will suffer for this interference_." The Creeper replied.

Duncan threw a potion, though the demon destroyed it with a plasma ball. It was surprisingly fast for such a large demon. At the same time, five more demons poured out of the hole in the floor and Mikelle started throwing potions at them. Violet quickly ran over, though before she could reach her, Mikelle was struck by a plasma ball and was thrown into a shipping container.

"No!" Violet screamed as she threw up her hands.

Suddenly, time slowed down around her and everything moved in a slow motion. Violet was surprised that time did not stop completely and realized her powers were really not working properly in the dome. She quickly ran over to Mikelle and was relieved to see she was still breathing. She turned and observed the situation.

Duncan was still fighting the leader and threw his final potion as the demon threw a plasma ball. The attack collided and caused an explosion that threw both of them off their feet. Meanwhile, there were three other demons left, so Violet threw her potions and vanquished two of them. However, just as she threw the third potion, time caught up and the demon faded in the floor like a shadow.

"Violet, behind you!" Duncan suddenly screamed.

Violet turned around and saw the demon rise up behind her. She screamed as she stumbled back and fell. Duncan ran at her and held out his hand. A metallic sphere appeared in his hand and he threw it. The sphere combusted as it hit the demon and it was vanquished. Violet looked at Duncan and saw he was just as surprised as she was.

"_You will not succeed_." The leader of the Creepers spoke telepathically as it rose from the ground. "_The brotherhood will reign eternally_."

"How do we free the city?" Duncan asked.

"_That information shall never be revealed_." The Creeper said. "_You may have beaten my brood, but you will never achieve victory_."

"We'll see about that." Duncan replied as he nodded and Violet.

Violet understood what he meant and threw her final potion as he conjured another metallic sphere and threw it at the demon. When their attacks struck, it caused a violent explosion. As the final Creeper was vanquished, a shockwave was sent through the warehouse and the silvery sphere containing the spirits shattered into a million pieces. Violet smiled faintly as the freed spirits flew away in hundreds of directions.

"Are you okay?" Duncan asked as he ran over.

"I'm fine. What were those metal ball things?" Violet asked.

"I guess a new power." Duncan said with a shrug. "Now is not the time to talk about it. Come on, we need to check on Mikelle and get back to the others."

As they headed over to check on Mikelle, Violet looked at the spirits circling in freedom. Even though they could not move on yet, at least they were no longer in danger. Violet realized it was far from over, but still she was relieved. Perhaps her dream was wrong after all.

xxx


	5. Chapter 5

Chosen Chapter 7: City of Darkness

Part 5

Xxx

Inside the City Hall of San Francisco, mayor Amanda Freeman sat at her desk overlooking police reports. She was a formidable woman in her late forties, with dark skin and short black hair. Many were intimidated by her stern and direct attitude and she was sometimes called heartless, but she always had the best interest of the city at heart. There was a knock on the door and she called for them to enter. A young man with short brown hair and eyes came in, dressed in a sharp grey suit. His name was agent Murphy from Homeland Security, and his presence had been vital in their fight against the dark forces that had taken over this city.

"What is the news?" Mayor Freeman asked as she took a sip of her already cold coffee.

"We got a few casualties in the north, but the situation is under control." Murphy replied. "The police commissioner is at the scene ordering his men. The south is still swarming with Hellhounds. I sent my men in to deal with the pack."

"I miss the days when all I had to worry about was taxes and budgets." The mayor remarked dryly.

"Well, I must say, you are handling the situation as best as can be expected." Murphy replied. "Most people would have lost it."

"Luckily, I am not most people." The mayor replied. "I have long suspected the existence of evil forces. I have seen my fair share of weirdness. Now that it is finally confirmed, all I can do is protect my city."

"And I am glad I was still around to offer my assistance." Murphy replied.

"So where are we on the matter of the witches you mentioned?" the mayor asked. "You believed they might be the key to ending all of this."

"So far, I have not been able to locate them." Murphy said. "We are not exactly on friendly terms. However, we just got report that there was an explosion at the park, where we believe the vampires had their base."

"Was it the witches?" the mayor asked.

"Not sure, we also heard reports that a police squad under leadership of inspector Porter was in the area." Murphy replied.

"Ah, yes, the mysterious inspector." The mayor said as she picked up another file from her desk. "Quite an interesting dossier. Do we suspect he is some kind of supernatural being as well?"

"All we can tell so far is that he had extensive knowledge about it." Murphy replied. "He could just be an ordinary human."

"Either way, when this chaos is over, I want a full investigation into him and those college witches." The mayor stated. "I expect I will have full support from your agency?"

"If I may ask, what exactly is your interest in them?" Murphy asked.

Before the mayor could answer, there was a scream from the hallway and guns were fired. As agent Murphy grabbed his gun and ran to the door, the mayor opened her drawer and took hold of a golden necklace with a ruby amulet. While Murphy guarded the door, he was unaware of a rippling in the air behind him and two glowing red eyes appeared.

"Murphy, behind you!" the mayor called out.

Murphy quickly spun around, but his gun was knocked from his hand. Something grabbed him by the throat and a moment later, an Asian woman in a black dress became visible. Where her fingers touched Murphy's skin, his veins blackened and he grew pale. He fell to the ground and remained silent. The mayor stood up and held the amulet hidden on her back. Even though she was scared, she remained perfectly calm. She was always the one in charge.

"What did you do to him?" the mayor asked.

"I infected him with a nerve toxin." The woman replied. "He is completely paralyzed and will die in a few minutes. Quite slow and painfully I might add."

"Alright, who are you and what do you want?" the mayor asked.

"My name is Klea." The woman replied. "A member of the Brotherhood that has taken over this city."

"My city, you mean." The mayor replied with a frown. "So why are you here?"

"I have grown tired of this chaos and destruction." Klea replied as she walked over and leaned down on the desk. "Sure it was fun for a few days, but I enjoy my peace and quiet. I came here to offer you a deal of sorts."

"Of sorts?" the mayor repeated.

"Your options are rather limited to be honest." Klea replied. "We own this city now, but what happens to it is entirely up to you. You can either let it burn down in chaos, or you can help me restore a little order."

"Why would I help you?" the mayor asked.

"Because it will save lives. Including your own." Klea explained. "We have no interest in killing every single mortal here. You can help guide this city to a slow and organized demise, and save yourself and a handful of others in the process. If you refuse, the chaos will continue and people will die in agony until finally, you all burn in the ruins."

"You sadistic bitch." The mayor snapped at her.

"Flattery will get you nowhere." Klea replied. "Do we have a deal?"

The mayor carefully considered her options. Working with the Brotherhood would be making a deal with the devil. She wanted to end the chaos and destruction, but realized it would not truly change anything. The evil forces would still reign, and she would personally be leading her people to their death with a fake sense of security. However, if she could rescue a handful of people in the end, wouldn't that be worth it?

"You have a deal." The mayor said reluctantly. "But only if you heal agent Murphy."

"Agreed." Klea replied contently.

"You will forgive me if I don't shake your hand." The mayor said.

Klea smiled amused and walked over to agent Murphy. She kneeled down and touched his forehead. A moment later, he let out a relieved sigh and sat up straight. Klea stood up and nodded at the mayor before disappearing into thin air. When she realized what she had just agreed to, the mayor asked for her god for forgiveness.

Xxx

All the way walking back to the club, Billie remained silent as she followed the others. All she could do was think about what had just happened. Billie knew the truth, that Taylor had lost her soul upon becoming a vampire, but she could not give up on her friend just yet. She felt responsible, Taylor would probably still be alive if they had not been friends. When they reached the back entrance of the club, the others stopped.

"Billie, are you sure you're alright?" Hope asked concerned. "You have barely said more than two words."

"I am okay. I just need to process." Billie lied.

"Well, we should get inside, see if the others are back yet." Hope replied.

Suddenly, there was a ruffling in the alley and all three of them spun around. However, Billie calmed down when she saw it was Jake. He must have followed them somehow. But why?

"What are you doing here?" Billie asked.

"We need to talk." Jake said determined.

"Not here, it is not safe." Billie said. "We should head inside."

Hope and Tyler headed through the magically hidden door and Billie waited for Jake to pass her. When they entered the cub through the office, the few refugees that were hiding there quickly came over for information. While Hope and Tyler filled them in, Billie noticed Violet and the others were not back yet. She hoped they were alright.

"Can we talk somewhere more private?" Jake asked.

"Sure, follow me." Billie said.

Billie led Jake to the large supply closet on the other side of the club and locked the door behind them. Billie took off her jacket and threw it on a table, while Jake unzipped his protective body vest and placed it on the floor. Billie grabbed two bottles of water and handed one to him. When their hands touched, they looked at each other, though Billie quickly turned away.

"So what did you want to talk about?" Billie asked.

"I think you know." Jake said.

"I don't." Billie replied. "I don't see what there is to talk about. You were pretty clear after the island thing. A witch and a witch hunter can never work."

"I am not here to talk about whatever is going on between us, Billie." Jake said. "I wanted to talk about the vampire situation."

"Oh." Billie said embarrassed and a little angry. "Fine, then just say it. You want me to kill my friend."

"No, I want us to kill the Queen." Jake replied. "Your friend is just collateral damage. And she is not even your friend anymore. The Taylor you knew is already dead."

"Well, it doesn't feel like that to me!" Billie called out.

"That is why you need to put your personal feelings aside." Jake said. "This is a war, we can't afford to be emotional. Each day people are getting killed."

"You think I don't know that?!" Billie snapped at him as she got really close to him. "I am just not like you. I can't ignore what I am feeling. I know what I feel and at least I am not afraid to admit it."

"When did we circle back to us?" Jake asked confused.

"I can't help it." Billie admitted.

"Oh, screw this." Jake said and he grabbed her face and kissed her forcefully.

"What the hell?" Billie called out as she pushed him away.

Before Jake had the chance to reply, Billie turned back to him and continued kissing him. She had missed this and she needed it right now. They stumbled back against one of the storage cabinets as they continued making out. Jake lifted up her tank top over her head and she ripped his shirt open before starting to unbuckle his belt and unzip his jeans. She did not want to think about anything. She just wanted to lose herself in the moment.

xxx

Back at the warehouse district, Duncan leaned against one of the shipping containers while Violet was keeping watch over the unconscious Mikelle. As he waited, he raised his hand and conjured a metallic sphere out of thin air. The power to conjure them had developed when he saw his friends were in danger, and proved to be quite useful. He just didn't know what to call it exactly.

"Is that a Bursting Ball?" Mikelle suddenly asked.

Duncan turned to her and saw she was awake. "Hey, are you okay?" he asked.

"Of course." Mikelle replied. "I am a Whitelighter, remember? It takes more than a little plasma ball to kill me."

"Well, I still think you should take it easy." Violet said.

"Oh please, I am supposed to be guiding you, not the other way around." Mikelle said annoyed as she got up. "So you got a new power, huh?"

"You called it a Bursting Ball?" Duncan asked with a frown.

"Yeah, it is a rare power associated with white magic." Mikelle explained. "It seems a logical advancement of your conjuration power. And their combustion is quite powerful."

"I noticed." Duncan replied as he rolled the sphere between his hands. "Should come in handy."

"Your powers are all growing really fast." Mikelle said. "You really were meant for this."

"Really?" Violet asked.

"Yeah of course." Mikelle said. "Now come on, enough of this Whitelighter crap. I need a drink. Let's head back to P3."

"Charming as ever." Duncan replied with a smile as he made the sphere disappear.

"Are we sure the spirits we freed will be alright?" Violet asked.

"Well, they're free now, but they still can't move on." Duncan replied.

"At least they're not getting eaten anymore. We can't help them further." Mikelle added with a shrug. "Let's go."

Duncan joined hands with the others and the three of them disappeared in a column of orbs. As soon as they left, a scruffy looking warlock revealed himself from behind a container and smirked. In a blink, Rickon disappeared to report the location of the witches to his boss.

Xxx

Back at his luxurious house overlooking the bay, Bacarra impatiently paced across the living room as he waited. Using a spell, he was able to observe the entire city from the comfort of his couch, but what he had seen did not make him happy. The vampires were attacked and barely got away, while the Creepers had been foolish enough to get themselves vanquished. He personally did not care about those pale freaks in the least, but it was a loss the Brotherhood did not need. With each member the Chosen took down, they came closer to ending their master plan.

As Bacarra turned to make another circle on his carpet, Rickon appeared before him in a blink. "Finally, please tell me you have some good news for a change." Bacarra said.

"I found out where the witches are hiding." Rickon quickly said.

"So where?" Bacarra asked impatiently.

"P3." Rickon said. "I spied on them in the warehouse and I overheard them mentioning it."

"Well, at least that is something." Bacarra said. "We need to take them out."

At that moment, a bat flew into the living room through the doors to the balcony. Rickon screamed as it circled him and tried to hit it. When it landed on the ground, it shifted into the Vampire Queen herself. She was clearly not amused and glared at the young warlock.

"Irena, what a surprise." Bacarra remarked.

"We had an understanding, Bacarra." Irena said angrily. "I get the mortals, you all thing related to magic. That includes the witches that just destroyed my home and killed half of my children. I want them destroyed."

Irena turned to Rickon and grabbed him by his jacket. "Warlocks don't bleed, do they? Then fetch me some blood fast." She ordered. Rickon nodded nervously and ran to get it for her.

"I assume you heard what happened to the Creepers?" Bacarra asked.

"The witches got them?" Irena asked. "I was busy ensuring the survival of my family, so I must have missed it. That is quite the disappointment, even though they lived up to their name as creeps."

"Agreed. The Brotherhood is losing more members than I care for." Bacarra replied.

"Speaking of caring for, where is the snake you share your bed with?" Irena asked with a frown.

"My ears are burning." Klea remarked as she appeared next to them in a shimmer. "Miss me?"

"Hardly." Irena replied as Rickon came running back into the room with a glass of blood and nearly tripped. "Careful, you fool." She snapped as she grabbed the glass and took a sip.

"Is something the matter, dear? You seem a little stressed." Klea remarked with an amused smile.

"Careful." Irena replied with a glare.

"Ladies, please." Bacarra said as he stepped between them. "Let's not fight among ourselves. We should focus all our attention on the witches. After all, Rickon here just informed me where they are hiding. It is time to end this once and for all."

xxx


	6. Chapter 6

Chosen Chapter 7: City of Darkness

Part 6

Xxx

In the storage room of P3, Billie leaning on a table while writing on a small notepad. However, she quickly grew frustrated and ripped another piece of paper apart. She needed a spell, but she could not get the right words. She did not even know if it was even possible. Suddenly, two strong arms were wrapped around her and someone kissed her neck. She smiled and turned around to look at Jake. While she was already fully dressed after their little spat, he was still shirtless. She was happy he was there, as she had forgotten about everything else for a moment.

"What are you doing?" Jake asked.

"Trying to write a spell to save Taylor." Billie replied. "And before you start again, I know it is pretty much hopeless."

"So why are you trying?" Jake asked.

"I have to do something." Billie said. "It is my fault she is like this. If she had not been my friend…"

"Hey, stop that." Jake said as he took the notepad from her hands. "You are not responsible."

"Aren't I?" Billie asked. "She was turned because she is connected to me. The Queen used her to hurt me."

"And if you did not know her, she might have been killed all the same." Jake replied. "Like dozens of other innocents were already. If you want to blame someone, blame the Brotherhood, not yourself."

"That is easier said than done." Billie said.

"I know." Jake admitted.

"Wait, are you saying you actually do feel something?" Billie remarked with a frown.

"I am not a complete robot, Billie." Jake replied annoyed. "As a hunter, I was taught to act without hesitation or emotion. To kill anything magical without a second thought. But that doesn't mean I don't regret some of the things I've done, that I am not haunted by my mistakes."

"So how do you keep going?" Billie asked.

"I think about the innocents I saved." Jake replied with a shrug. "Focus on the good and try to block out the bad."

"Does that work?" Billie asked.

"Most of the time." Jake replied and he pulled her closer. "Especially with something to distract me."

"So I am just a distraction?" Billie asked with a smile.

Billie placed a hand on his chest and he leaned into kiss her. He slightly lifted her and she hopped on the table. However, just when they were ready to engage in a second round, there was a knock on the door. Jake backed up as Billie waved her finger and telekinetically opened the lock. Violet entered the storage room and her eyes widened when she saw what she had interrupted. Jake uncomfortably looked around and quickly grabbed his shirt from the floor to put it on.

"Vi. You're back." Billie said relieved as she jumped off the table and ran over to hug her. "I am so glad you're okay. Are the others alright?"

"Everyone is okay." Violet said. "Am I interrupting something?"

"Uh, no. We're good." Jake after clearing his throat. "You have news?"

"Yeah, we wanted to report in and discuss our next move." Violet said.

"We'll be there in a minute." Billie said.

Violet nodded and closed the door behind her as she let. Great, now everyone would know what happened between her and Jake. They would all have questions she did not know how to answer. She didn't even know what was happening between them. Last time, Jake had been pretty clear it would not work.

"Are we going to talk about this?" Billie asked.

"I don't know, Billie." Jake replied with a sigh. "I think we have too much going on to define… this… right now."

"Fine." Billie said annoyed. "Then we won't mention it."

Billie stormed out of the storage room and crossed the club to the table where the others were waiting. She was relieved to see all her friends were safe. However, there were a few judgmental looks when Jake joined them at the table. Most obviously from Duncan.

"What is he doing here?" Duncan asked annoyed.

"You're not still mad about the whole Wendigo thing, are you?" Jake asked.

"You mean when you wanted to kill me?" Duncan replied.

"I never wanted to kill you." Jake said as he crossed his arms. "But if you had killed someone and had become a monster, I would have had no choice."

"Guys, can we do this another time?" Billie remarked.

Duncan and Jake both nodded and Duncan started filling them in on what had happened at the warehouse. He told them how they had vanquished the Creeper Demons and freed the trapped spirits. In turn, Billie then reluctantly informed them what happened with the vampires, and more specifically what had happened with Taylor.

"I am so sorry, Billie." Violet said as she placed a hand on her arm.

"Thanks." Billie replied with a faint smile. "So any ideas what we should do next?"

"Well, perhaps we should…" Duncan started.

Before he could finish, the entire club fell silent when the howling of Hellhounds sounded all around them. Billie realized the Brotherhood had found them and that they were surrounded. Panic erupted among the refugees in the club and Billie leaped on the table to address them.

"Alright, everyone. We knew this could happen." She announced loudly. "Stick to the escape plan, form in small groups so Mikelle can orbs you to safety."

"What about us?" Tyler asked as Billie jumped off the table.

"We fight." Billie said determined.

As the handful of refugees gathered in the back with Mikelle, Billie and the others prepared for war. They barricaded the doors and grabbed every weapon they could find. Hope and Jake both wielded swords, while Violet grabbed the emergency potion supply. Billie had her favorite athame in hand and waited. When the door shattered, the almost invisible pack of Hellhounds charged in.

"Tyler, now!" Billie called out.

Tyler nodded and aimed his hands at the floor, causing a large wall of fire to appear. The Hellhounds remained trapped behind it and growled as they paced around. However, Billie knew this much fire would not last very long, as it took a lot of energy out of the young Firestarter.

"We just need to buy some time for everyone to escape." Billie said.

"I got it." Tyler replied.

"They are not alone!" Violet suddenly called out.

Billie looked up and saw a small swarm of bats flying in and landing behind them, where they shifted into vampires. She looked around for Taylor, but she was not among them. Duncan quickly threw a metallic sphere at them, but one of the vampires caught it and it dissolved in his hand. However, Hope then unleashed a blast of energy from her hands and knocked them back.

"There are too many of them." Hope called out.

"She is right, we will never make it." Jake added.

As they engaged in the vampires in a fight, Billie looked over her shoulder saw Mikelle was still orbing refugees to safety. "We need just a little more time." She replied. "Violet?"

"The dome is affecting my power, even if I can freeze them, it won't last very long." Violet replied.

Just then, a scruffy looking warlock blinked in behind Violet and grabbed her arm. He raised an athame to her neck pulled her close to him. Billie raised her own athame, but could not risk it.

"You're surrounded." The warlock said. "Drop it."

Billie looked around and saw Mikelle orbing away with the last refugees. The others were barely holding their own against the vampires and Tyler was visibly getting weaker while keeping up the fire around the Hellhounds. Billie realized they were fighting a losing battle, and going on would only get them killed.

"Fine, you win." Billie said as she dropped her athame.

"Smart choice." The warlock replied.

The warlock waited until the vampires took Billie and the others hostage and forced them on their knees. As a vampire knocked out Tyler, the fire disappeared and the Hellhounds started to circle the club. When everyone was down, a shimmer appeared in the air and female demon in a black dress appeared. Billie remembered seeing her before. She had to be another member of the Brotherhood.

"Nice work, Rickon." The woman said.

"Thanks, Klea." The warlock replied.

Klea gleamed with pride as she looked at her defeated enemies. "You did not really think you would win, did you? You cannot possibly defeat the Brotherhood."

"Actually, I did think that." Billie remarked.

"Typical witches." Klea replied with a sneer, before turning to the vampires. "You can take the others to your queen, Bacarra just wants the witches."

The vampires nodded and lifted Jake, Hope and Tyler up to their feet before dragging them out of the club. As she watched them being taken away, Billie wanted to do something, but she felt a Hellhound breathing down her neck and remained in place. She was forced to watch in silence until the vampires were gone with her friends.

"So what now?" Billie asked.

"Now you die." Klea replied.

"But Bacarra wanted them alive so he could take their powers." Rickon said confused.

"Is that really a risk you want to take?" Klea asked. "Kill them now and the threat is over. Besides, I have an appointment with the mayor, so we need to hurry this along."

"I am not sure… Bacarra won't like this." Rickon said nervously.

"Bacarra is not the only one in charge anymore." Klea replied determined.

As she listened to their discussion, Billie tried to think of an escape plan, but nothing came to mind that did not involve them being torn to shreds by Hellhounds the moment they moved. She was stuck. Taylor was a vampire and all her other friends were about to die. For the first time, she truly felt that all hope was lost. She could not see a way out of this and she blamed herself.

Suddenly, a column of orbs appeared behind the warlock and Mikelle hit him across the head with a piece of metal. The moment the warlock released her, Violet raised her hand and time slowed down. Billie saw everything moving in slow motion, including herself, and it seemed like Violet was moving at superhuman speed across the room.

When Violet touched Billie, time sped up and everything seemed normal again. However, Klea and everything else was still trapped in the temporal stasis.

"Thanks, Mikelle. You really are a life saver." Billie said.

"It's what I am here for." Mikelle replied with a shrug. "I figured I'd be a pretty crappy Whitelighter if I let all my charges die in one day."

"We need to hurry." Violet said. "They won't stay this way for long."

Billie nodded and picked up her athame, which she threw at a Hellhound while Duncan vanquished several with his combustive metal spheres. Violet picked up the athame Rickon dropped and threw it at his chest. When the blade hit, the warlock unfroze and screamed as he was vanquished in a fiery explosion. At the same time, Mikelle vanquished the last Hellhound by stabbing it with the piece of metal she held in her hand.

"These don't look as tough as the one on the island." Mikelle remarked.

"Guys, time has caught up." Violet suddenly called in a panic. "Where is Klea?"

Billie spun around and saw the demon was nowhere to be seen. Had she disappeared? Suddenly she heard Mikelle gasping and drop the piece of metal. Billie turned to her and saw two glowing red eyes behind her. The veins in her neck turned pure black. She then fell to the ground and Klea appeared in a shimmer.

"Darklighter poison, the most deadly in existence." Klea said with a twisted smile.

Klea disappeared in a shimmer and Billie and the others ran over to Mikelle. As Billie grabbed her, she felt cold and was shivering. Her skin was very pale and the dark veins were spreading across her entire body. This could not be happening. Billie thought in a panic, not again.

"We need to do something!" Violet called out in tears. "Help her!"

"I don't know how!" Duncan replied panicked. "It is Darklighter poison. The only cure is to be healed by a Whitelighter."

"It is okay." Mikelle replied weakly. "It is already too late."

"No, no, no. There has to be a way!" Billie called out tearfully.

"No, Duncan is right. The only person who could cure this is me, and I can't heal myself." Mikelle explained with a cough. "I Guess your dream was real after all, Vi."

Violet completely broke down in tears and Duncan held her tightly to comfort her. Billie was still holding Mikelle and did whatever she could to make her comfortable. Her friend was growing paler by the moment and the dark veins were covering her almost entirely now.

"Just do me a favor." Mikelle said as she was gasping for air. "Kill that damn bitch."

"We will. I promise." Billie said determined.

"Good. Guess I turned out to be a crappy whitelighter after all." Mikelle said.

"You're not." Billie replied.

"Just don't go blaming yourself again." Mikelle said weakly. "Because if you do, I will need to come back down here and kick your ass."

Mikelle gasped for air one last time as her body grew weak. As she closed her eyes, Billie could feel her dying in her arms and felt powerless. She burst into tears and held on to her friend, though she dissolved into orbs and faded away. Next to her, Violet began screaming hysterical and Duncan did his best to hold her while trying to suppress his own tears. Mikelle was gone.

Billie grew silent as her last words echoed through her mind. Something in her snapped. Now was not the time for grieving. Klea needed to die for what she had done, and the rest of the Brotherhood along with her. Billie was now more determined than ever to end this. And nothing was going to get in her way.

Xxx

Mayor Amanda Freeman impatiently sat behind her desk while tapping her nails. Agent Murphy was standing by the window, while the police commissioner was sitting across from her. He jumped up in a panic when Klea suddenly appeared through a ripple in the air. Ignoring him, she headed to the desk and grabbed a tissue. As she wiped her hands, the mayor could see a glowing blue residue on her manicured fingers.

"Whitelighters are always so messy." Klea remarked. "Sorry I am late. I assume you have discussed my offer?"

"I am telling you this is a mistake." Murphy said. "You can't trust a demon."

"Like it or not, Murphy, we are in this mess." The mayor replied annoyed. "I don't like it any more than you do, but a lot of people in the city will die. Even if I can only save a handful, that is a risk I am willing to take."

"I knew you were a smart woman." Klea replied. "We are so much alike."

"Don't insult me." The mayor said bitterly. "Just tell us what you want."

Klea smiled contently as she sat down in a chair and started explaining her plans. With every word coming out of her mouth, the mayor started to hate her deal more, but she continued to remind herself it was the best option. She could not stop this demonic invasion, so she had to go along with it for the sake of her own survival.

xxx


	7. Chapter 7

Chosen Chapter 7: City of Darkness

Part 7

Xxx

As the endless night over the city continued, Bacarra stood on his balcony and looked over the bay. He was waiting, but his patience was quickly fading. How long did it take to capture some witches? When he finally cracked, Bacarra let out a frustrated scream. He walked inside and one of his demonic henchmen came running to see what was going on. Bacarra quickly cast a latin spell and threw a Fire Ball at the demon, vanquishing him instantly. He did not want to deal with his idiotic henchmen now.

"Rickon! Where the hell are you?!" Bacarra called out. "You'd better not be dead."

When there was no response, Bacarra sighed. After months of planning, it felt like his plans were falling apart. The Creepers were vanquished, the witches were still out there and he did not even know what kind of games Irena and Klea were playing. He should have never gotten involved with demons to begin with.

"_Revertimini ad me_." Bacarra chanted as he closed his eyes and waves his hand.

Pale white wisps started to appear in the room and formed into a transparent Rickon, who appeared surprised to be there and reached for his chest to check a wound that was not there.

"So you're dead." Bacarra concluded in an annoyed tone. "Care to tell me what happened?"

"The vampires took the mortals, I wanted to bring you the witches, but Klea wanted to kill them instead. Then their whitelighter hit me across the head and that redhead slowed down time." Rickon explained. "She threw an athame at me!"

"Oh, get over it." Bacarra remarked. "That is all?"

"Yeah, I sort-of died." Rickon replied with a frown. "Can you help with that?"

"Why should I? You have been completely useless." Bacarra remarked and waved his hand as he cast another spell. "_Solventur in nihilum_."

Rickon looked confused and combusted in a cloud of vapor. As his former lackey dissolved into nothing, Bacarra poured himself a drink at the bar. Klea was growing out of control. She might have a seat at the table, but that did not mean she could suddenly do whatever she wanted. He would need to have a long talk with her, and he knew where she would be.

Xxx

Back at P3, Duncan was doing his best to keep it all together. He knew he could not fall apart right now, so he tried to shut out his emotions as much as possible. Mikelle was gone, Violet was still crying and Billie was in some kind of silent rage trance. He was very worried about her. She was just gathering weapons and potions with a blank expression on her face, like she was preparing for a suicidal revenge action.

Duncan needed to be the one to think straight. Even though he was devastated, he realized he needed to be smart now. Charging off after Klea would only get them all killed. He had already lost enough friends today. He walked over to Billie and grabbed a stake from her hand.

"Duncan, what the hell?" Billie called out.

"You need to snap out of it, whatever is going on in your head." Duncan replied.

"Klea killed Mikelle, so I am going to kill her. It is quite simple." Billie said angrily as she yanked the stake from his hands and placed it the bag.

"So you want to get yourself killed as well?" Duncan asked. "We can't go charging after her without a plan. And what about the others? The vampires have them."

"Then you go save them." Billie replied.

"Billie, this isn't you." Duncan said. "You don't abandoned your friends for revenge."

"Well, being me hasn't exactly saved a lot of friends either." Billie remarked. "In case you missed it, people tend to die a lot around me."

Billie grabbed the bag of weapons and tried to move past him, though Duncan blocked her path. She stopped and hesitated, but then pushed him aside. She headed for the door, though before she could get to the stairs, Violet stood up and screamed her name. Billie froze and turned around. Duncan watched with a shocked expression as Violet walked over to Billie and slapped her.

"Billie, you need to stop!" Violet called out in tears. "Mikelle was our friend. I know you're hurting, but we need you. You can't go charging off on your own."

"This has to end, Vi." Billie replied unaffected. "The Brotherhood has to pay for what they have done."

"And what about Tyler and Hope? What about Jake?" Duncan asked as he walked up to them. "Are you willing to let them die for your revenge?"

"Of course not!" Billie snapped at him. "I just can't let Klea escape."

"She has nowhere to go, Billie." Duncan said. "We're all trapped in this city. Right now, the lives of our friends are more important."

"Fine, we'll go after the vampire first." Billie replied with a shrug.

Billie headed up the stairs and left the club. When the door slammed shut, Violet burst out into tears again and Duncan hugged her.

"How are we supposed to keep going?" Violet asked in tears. "Mikelle is gone. I knew it was coming, but still I could not do anything to stop it."

"It is not your fault. None of us could have predicted this." Duncan replied.

"But I did. I saw the empty grave in my dream." Violet said.

"But it was just symbolic. The dome is affecting your powers. There was no way you could have known who was going to die." Duncan said.

"What are we going to do now?" Violet asked.

"We need to go after Billie." Duncan said. "It is like she snapped or something. She's gone all vengeful witch on us."

"After everything, I can't blame her." Violet replied as she wiped her tears. "How are we supposed to deal with this?"

"We just need to keep going." Duncan said. "I think that is what Mikelle would say."

"I think you're right." Violet admitted. "I am just not sure I can do it. I mean, how come you're not being an emotional wreck like me?"

"Someone has to keep a clear head." Duncan replied. "I will deal later. We should get going before Billie gets herself into trouble."

Violet nodded and they quickly ran up the stairs after Billie. He did not think she could be reasoned with at the moment. Something had definitely snapped in her. It was like she had shut down her emotions to avoid dealing with the pain. She needed help, but Duncan did not know how to help her. All they could do now, was go rescue the others before they lost even more friends.

xxx

At the beautiful greenhouse located in the Golden Gate Park, Taylor entered the tropical garden her Queen was using as her throne room. Irena was sitting on a chaise longue dressed in a black leather dress, looking beautiful as ever. Taylor crossed the room and kneeled before her queen, though she quickly rose when Irena waved her hand.

"You summoned me, my Queen?" Taylor asked.

"Yes, I wanted to talk to you about your friend, Billie." Her queen replied.

"I am sorry I failed you. I wanted to kill her when I had the chance." Taylor quickly said.

"It doesn't matter." The queen replied. "They are being taken of as we speak."

"But my queen, I wanted to be the one to kill Billie." Taylor said. "She is the reason I died."

"Well, there are other ways you can have revenge." The queen replied.

The queen snapped her fingers and the doors opened. A small group of vampires came in with three prisoners. Taylor recognized the young kid and the blonde as Billie's friends, and the guy as the one who attacked the greenhouse and stopped her from killing her former friend. She believed his name was Jake. All three had their hands and legs tied and were forced on their knees before the queen.

"I trust you know them." The queen said.

"Only that they are friends of Billie." Taylor replied.

"Taylor, why are you doing this? Billie was your friend." The blonde girl said. "It is not her fault you are like this. The vampires turned you."

"You don't know anything." Taylor replied.

"Someone silence her." The queen commanded and one of the vampires quickly knocked out the blonde. "You can feed on her later, but the pretty one is mine. You can take him to my chambers. Leave the cop behind." The queen ordered.

Taylor watched as the other vampires dragged the blonde and the young kid away, though the kid kept struggling and trying to set them on fire. Eventually, one of the vampires knocked him out as well. Taylor waited until she was alone with her queen and the cop. The queen stood up and started circling the cop, who remained silent and tried to act confident. The queen leaned down next to him and sniffed his neck.

"You want revenge on Billie?" the queen asked. "You can have him. Her smell is all over him."

"You're involved with her?" Taylor asked with a frown.

"I am not saying a thing." Jake replied. "You want to kill me, then just do it. You undead freaks disgust me."

"Well, then perhaps we should turn you instead." The queen said. "However, the choice is not mine. He is all yours, Taylor. I have my own toy to play with."

Her queen stood up and left the room. Taylor stared down at Jake and kicked him across the chest. He flew a few feet backwards and landed on the stone floor. She then noticed the ring on his finger was glowing in a pale green light.

"What is this?" She asked as she moved in superhuman speed and grabbed his arm.

"It is useless to you. It only protects mortals." Jake said. "Which obviously, you're not anymore."

"You think I like being like this?" Taylor asked. "I am what Billie made me."

"You're what your precious queen made you!" Jake replied. "Are you really this stupid? The queen is using you, twisting your mind. She doesn't care about you."

"It doesn't matter. Whatever I once was is gone." Taylor replied. "I only serve my queen now."

"I guess you're right." Jake said with a shrug. "So why don't you just get it over with? Do you really think this so-called revenge on Billie will make you feel better?"

"You love her, don't you?" Taylor remarked with a frown. "Even though you won't admit it to yourself. What is it about her that makes her so special?"

"She is strong, and she doesn't give up." Jake replied with a smirk. "She fights for her friends, no matter what."

"Then I guess we're not friends." Taylor remarked disappointed.

"Not anymore, no." A familiar voice suddenly said.

Taylor quickly spun around and found herself face to face with Billie. Her anger instantly resurfaced and she hissed as her fangs grew. However, before she could move, she was splashed in the face with holy water. She screamed out in pain as her skin burned. A moment later, she felt a kick in her stomach and was thrown to the ground. She looked up at her former friend, who had a determined look on her face. She raised a wooden stake and everything went dark.

Xxx

Billie stared down on her undead friend and realized she felt nothing for her. She realized that the Taylor she was knew no longer existed. She was just another demon now, and she needed to die. She raised her stake and wanted to kill her, though for some reason she hesitated. She was so determined to end it all, but she still could not force herself to stake Taylor. Instead, she knocked her unconscious with a swift kick to the head.

"You're still hesitating." Jake remarked as Billie cut his ties and helped him up.

"She is just a distraction. She will die when the queen dies." Billie replied casually.

"Are you okay? You seem distant, not like yourself." Jake said.

"I am fine." Billie said. "Mikelle is dead."

"What? I'm so sorry. I know she was your friend." Jake said, which sounded strange coming from him. It always seemed like he did not care.

"Where are the others?" Jake asked.

"They are behind me. We found Hope in one of the other rooms. The vampires were about to kill her." Billie explained. "Where is the queen?"

"She had her minions take Tyler to her chambers." Jake said. "She must be there. We need to hurry."

Billie nodded and they headed back to the main hall, where they met up with the others. Billie wished she was relieved to see Hope, but it was like her emotions were on mute somehow. Her mission was all that matter to her at the moment. First the queen, then Klea and then Bacarra. The entire Brotherhood would be destroyed tonight. By any means necessary.

"We need to kill the queen." Billie replied as she grabbed a stake from her bag.

"Okay, Buffy, calm down." Jake remarked as he grabbed her arm before turning to the others. "What the hell is wrong with her?"

"I'm fine." Billie replied impatiently. "I am not waiting around anymore."

Billie headed down the hallway to confront the queen. When a vampire charged at her, she staked him without blinking an eye and kept walking. She reached a large double door and flung her arm to open them telekinetically. She entered a large round room decorated like a luxurious bedroom.

An unconscious Tyler was lying on the bed with the Queen sitting next to him. She had cut his wrist and was letting his blood drip in a chalice.

"Get away from him." Billie demanded.

As she walked toward the queen, two bats flew down from the ceiling and turned into vampires. Billie heard the others behind her and a moment later, Jake and Hope took the vampires out.

"You know, I am getting tired of people barging into my home and interrupting me." The queen replied as she placed the chalice on a table. "Especially when I was just about to play with my new toy."

"You're going down." Billie said.

"Please, you don't stand a chance against me. I am a Queen. The most powerful of all vampires." The queen replied as she stood up.

"It doesn't matter." Billie said confidently.

Billie threw the stake in her hand at her chest, though the queen caught and shattered it with her bare hand. She then shot forward like a blur and moved past Billie. A second later, her friends were being thrown across the room until only Billie and the queen remained.

"Impressive." Billie remarked as she revealed another stake. "Now how about you come after me?"

The queen hissed and charged forward. Billie was able to block her first punch, though before she could raise her stake, the queen grabbed her arm and twisted it. Billie cried out in pain and dropped the stake. The queen threw her into a dresser and then grabbed her by the throat and lifted her up. She grew her fangs as Billie struggled helplessly.

Suddenly, the queen gasped in pain and looked down in shock. Billie followed her gaze and saw a large stake had punctured her chest from behind. The queen trembled as she stumbled back and dropped Billie on the floor. Billie looked up to see Taylor standing behind the queen with her hand clutching the stake.

xxx


	8. Chapter 8

Chosen Chapter 7: City of Darkness

Part 8

Xxx

Billie was stunned and stood there frozen. All she could do was stare in silence as the screaming vampire queen erupted into flames, leaving a shocked Taylor behind. All around the greenhouse, vampires erupted in flames as the entire hive was vanquished, though Taylor somehow remained. As the queen was reduced to ashes, a pale red mist rose up from the ashes and entered Taylor through her nostrils and mouth. The newly turned vampire gasped as she was lifted from the ground and became engulfed in a red glow.

"What is going on? Why did you do that?" Billie asked as Taylor hit the ground after the light faded.

"She got in my way, I told her I wanted to be the one to kill you." Taylor replied. "Considering our former friendship and all."

"How are you still alive?" Billie asked. "You're supposed to be connected to your queen."

"I am the queen now." Taylor explained. "When a queen dies, so does her entire hive. But when she is killed by one of her own, a new queen emerges."

"Well, too bad you're still going to die." Billie remarked.

Billie held out her hand and the stake telekinetically flew into her hand. She tried pierce her former friend's heart, though Taylor grabbed her arm and threw the stake away. She painfully twisted her arm until Billie was unable to move.

"I don't think so." Taylor hissed as her fangs grew. "Without Irena clouding my mind, I am able to think clearly. Nothing has changed between us, I still hate you for what happened to me."

"So kill me." Billie replied harshly. "One of us is going to die tonight."

"What the hell is wrong with you?" Taylor asked with a frown. "You're different."

"I stopped caring." Billie replied. "And I am not the only one who has changed. So are we going to fight or what?"

"Tempting, but not right now." Taylor said. "You see, I actually want you to destroy the Brotherhood first. Those bastards sacrificed me in their stupid ritual. I lost my life for this stupid dome. So go ahead and vanquish them, give them what they deserve."

"And what about you?" Billie replied. "Am I supposed to let you go?"

"I am sure we will cross paths again soon." Taylor replied.

Taylor released Billie and turned into a bat before flying away through a window. Billie was left dazed. She had missed her chance to kill Taylor, but at least the first queen was gone. One down and only two left to go. Billie looked down at her unconscious friends and realized they were only slowing her down. She did not need them to take out the Brotherhood any more. She was the one who wanted to be the one to end them, and she knew where Klea would be. She would suffer for what she had done to Mikelle. Without waking up the others, Billie grabbed her bag of weapons and headed to City Hall.

xxx

Klea smiled as she walked across the grand hallway of City Hall with beautiful marble floors and modern artwork. There was a large round skylight in the ceiling that would typically bath the hall in light. Klea had to admit she did miss the sun, but it was a small price to pay for power. She stopped and looked at a modern artwork, it was stunning. Perhaps she would set up office here, as it was far more to her taste. It brought back memories of her time with the Brotherhood of the Thorn, living in the mortal world while taking over businesses. Back then she was just a lackey, but she had come a long way since then. Now she was in charge. As she turned around, she was surprised by the sudden arrival of Bacarra. However, she was able to contain her surprise.

"Bacarra, what brings you here?" Klea asked in a calm tone.

"We need to talk." Bacarra said angrily. "You tried to kill the witches and instead let them escape. Now Irena is vanquished, again bringing our destruction one step closer."

"Our poor little queen. We'll miss her." Klea remarked uncaring.

"Don't you see what is happening here?" Bacarra asked. "It is all falling apart. The witches are winning. It could have been over if you had just brought them to me. You betrayed me!"

"I never betrayed you, dear." Klea replied. "I wanted to end the threat, which would have worked if your warlock had not hesitated. Either way, I have my own interests to think about as well. After all, I do have a seat at the table."

"I guess I was a fool for believing you had any real loyalty toward me." Bacarra said disappointed.

"Oh, please." Klea said annoyed. "We have sex, it's nothing more than that. Besides, every single member of the Brotherhood joined for a reason. I am no exception. I never made it a secret that I wanted more power."

"So now you want to rule the city?" Bacarra remarked. "Like a child playing with dolls?"

Klea lashed out at him and her nails scraped his cheek. She had intended to infect him with a weak poison, but for some reason, nothing happened.

"Surprised? Your poison won't work on me." Bacarra explained. "I took precautions. Irena was right, you are a snake."

"I simply want what I deserve." Klea said. "You think this brotherhood would have functioned without me? You would have ripped each other to shreds long ago if I had not mediated. I am not one of your minions."

"We could have ruled this city together." Bacarra replied.

"I have no interest in being a consort when I can rule myself." Klea said. "You would have never accepted me as a true equal."

"Perhaps you're right." Bacarra said. "After all, we were just using each other, right? It was only a matter of time before the power struggle began."

"And I am not losing." Klea said determined.

"But my dear, you're powerless against me. _Incendiares Globus_." Bacarra said. As he spoke the latin phrase, a sphere of fire formed in his hand.

"You still need me." Klea replied as she backed away, with a little desperation in her voice.

"You have made it clear I can't trust you." Bacarra said with a frown. "You think I would allow you back in my bed with your venom?"

"Fine." Klea replied with a glare. "You were a lousy lover in the first place."

Bacarra screamed angrily and threw the sphere of fire, though Klea avoided it and quickly turned invisible except for her eyes. She quickly moved behind a statue and hid from view. She was about to shimmer away, when the doors flew open. She turned around and saw the blonde witch enter.

Billie waved her hand and the door closed behind her. She seemed bitter, like she was on a path of vengeance for her fallen friend. Klea would have smiled if she had not been in danger.

"Where is she?" Billie asked coldly when she stepped toward Bacarra.

"I am wondering that myself." Bacarra replied as he looked around, though Klea had already moved to another spot where she could not be seen.

"She is mine." Billie said. "She will pay for what she did to my friend."

"In case you missed it, Miss Jenkins, I own this city." Bacarra replied. "Your petty revenge means nothing to me. In fact, I think I might just kill you myself."

"You can certainly try." Billie replied with a confident smile as she revealed an athame. "You were second on my list anyway."

"So determined." Bacarra remarked. "After everything, I expected to find you crying in a corner over all the lives you destroyed."

"You don't know anything about me." Billie replied. "I decided to channel it all into killing you."

"And then what?" Bacarra asked.

"Don't care." Billie replied. "I am done talking."

Billie flung her arm and the large statue next to Bacarra tipped over. The warlock quickly blinked away and reappeared behind her. He threw a fire ball, though Billie levitated and flipped over him. She then threw her athame and hit him in the shoulder. Bacarra cursed and pulled it out.

"You're lucky I don't bleed, witch." Bacarra remarked. "If you had ruined this suit, I would have made you suffer."

Bacarra raised his hand and cast a latin spell, "_Vitibus Folliculus_". Suddenly, vines erupted from the marble floor and wrapped around Billie, tying her arms and legs. She struggled, but was quickly trapped in place. Bacarra smiled as he walked over to her with the athame in his hand.

"I am going to enjoy this." Bacarra said. "One little stab and your powers are mine."

"Forget it." Billie replied.

The blonde witch squinted her eyes and Bacarra was telekinetically thrown back. Bacarra smirked as he stood back up and wiped his suit clean.

"Fine, you can wait." Bacarra said as he waved his hand, which caused the vines to wrap around her more tightly until she cried out in pain. "I have another problem to deal with. _Aspectus Invisus_."

Klea gasped shocked when she suddenly became visible. She tried to shimmer away, but Bacarra appeared besides her in a blink and threw her across the room, where she landing in front of the vines binding Billie. One vine wrapped around her leg, keeping her in place.

"You think you can rule this city alone?" Klea called out. "Allow me to live and I can bring order. I already have the mayor under my control. We can still be together."

"But then we come back to the part where I can't trust you." Bacarra replied as he formed another fire ball in his hand. "I think I will just kill you and be done with it."

"No!" Billie called out angrily as she struggled.

Just when Bacarra was about to vanquish Klea, the door of City Hall opened once more and the other witches and their friends came running in. The guardian unleashed a blast of energy that threw Bacarra across the room, while the firestarter used his flames to destroy the vines trapping Billie. However, Klea herself remained trapped and silently cursed them.

"Missed us?" Hope asked.

"I didn't need your help." Billie remarked angrily.

"What were you thinking running off on your own like that?" Violet asked.

Before Billie could answer, Bacarra blinked from the ground and reappeared in front of them. "Always these interruptions." He remarked in an annoyed tone.

"It is over, Bacarra." Duncan said. "Your plans are ruined."

"We are putting a stop to you." Violet added. "The Chosen spell?"

The others nodded and started casting a spell. Bacarra screamed and threw a final fire ball, though Billie deviated it and hit him in the chest while chanting, causing him to catch fire.

"_The Chosen call, collective power,_

_Vanquish this evil within this hour_."

Bacarra screamed as the spell took effect and fire burning on his chest started to swirl around him in thin streams. The streams encircled him until they cut right through his body like razors. He was still screaming as he exploded into millions of black particles that evaporated in smoke.

"We did it." Violet said relieved.

"Not quite yet." Billie remarked determined.

Klea quickly realized the vines around her leg were gone and disappeared in a shimmer. She reappeared behind the Chosen and grabbed Billie by the arm. As she spread her poison, the arm of the blonde witch was covered in black veins. Billie cried out in pain and fell to the ground. Violet rushed to her aid, while the others all turned to attack Klea. Duncan held out his hand and conjured a metallic sphere.

"Hold on." Klea said as she raised her hands defensively. "Kill me and she dies as well."

"Like we would believe you." Jake said with a frown. "She is bluffing."

"How can we be sure?" Hope asked.

"We can't." Duncan admitted.

"We can't let her live! She killed Mikelle!" Tyler called out angrily. "I will torch her myself."

"No wait!" Hope quickly said as she grabbed his arms and held him down.

"Duncan, we need to do something!" Violet said desperately.

"What do you want?" Duncan asked as he turned to Klea.

"Allow me to leave and I will cure her." Klea said. "I will take down the dome and we will go our separate ways. Vanquish me, she dies and the dome remains. In that case, you will be trapped here until your deaths."

"No…" Billie whispered weakly.

"We don't have a choice." Violet said. "What is more important?"

"Violet is right." Duncan said.

"No." Billie repeated, this time louder.

"They are right, Billie." Hope said. "Nothing is more important than your life."

"I... said…no!" Billie replied as she struggled to breathe.

As she struggled, Billie suddenly flung her hand. The athame Bacarra had been holding flew up from the floor and hit Klea in her stomach. She felt a sharp pain and stumbled back as she looked at the blade. It was burning her from the inside and flames appeared. She was not ready yet. This could not be her end. She had worked too long and hard to get where she was. She screamed out at the large skylight in the ceiling as she felt fire consume her. What followed was a powerful explosion that caused the earth to tremble. In the distance, something shattered.

Xxx

As she had done every day since the dome appeared, Paige Matthews waited for a miracle as she stood in the morning sun. It had been over ten days now and she was still cut off from everyone she loved. She hoped Billie and the others would find a way. Suddenly there was a trembling and Paige nearly lost her balance. The entire area was shaking. A moment later, Kevin appeared next to her in a column of orbs, dressed in a white robe.

"Something is happening." Kevin said.

"You think?" Paige remarked as the trembling continued.

Paige looked at the dome and saw cracks of light starting to appear in the darkness with each tremor. When enough cracks had formed, the dome suddenly shattered and disappeared in a flash. The city of San Francisco appeared out of nowhere and Paige heard Kevin cheering next to her. She wanted to do the same thing, but first she needed to know her loved ones were safe. Her sisters, Henry, Tyler and Billie. When she thought about Billie, she suddenly felt a sharp pang of pain in her heart. She immediately realized something was very wrong.

"They did it." Kevin said with a smile. "If we act quickly, we can still prevent a mass exposure of magic. I need to meet with the council and the tribunal right away."

"I need to go." Paige said without listening to him.

"Where? What is going on?" Kevin asked concerned.

Without waiting a second longer to answer him, Paige dissolved into a swirl of orbs and headed into the city. She did not care about exposure, she needed to hurry. Time was running out. She just hoped it wasn't already too late.

xxx


	9. Chapter 9

Chosen Chapter 7: City of Darkness

Part 9

Xxx

As Klea exploded in a large blast of fire, Billie let out a relieved sigh. She felt the poison spread across her entire body and was in pain, though she had avenged Mikelle. That was all that mattered. The Brotherhood had been destroyed. She did not care if she had to die in the process, since all she did was get the people she cared about killed. Perhaps now that she was dying, her friends would be safe. As she closed her eyes and started to fade away, she heard her friends argue around her.

"We have to do something!" Violet called out in tears. "We can't let her die!"

"There is nothing we can do." Duncan replied. "God, Billie, why did you have to be so reckless?"

"That is not helping." Jake said angrily.

"Like you care, just one less witch you need to hunt!" Duncan snapped at him.

"What?" Jake called out angrily.

"Guys, come on." Hope yelled at them. "This is pointless."

"Wait, something is happening." Tyler suddenly said.

As everyone fell silent, Billie slowly opened her eyes and saw a bright light. For a moment, she thought she was dead. She was ready to move on. However, she suddenly felt a warmth spreading across her entire body and started to feel better. She felt the poison disappearing. When the warmth faded, she opened her eyes and found herself looking up at Paige. That was impossible. She looked at the air through skylight and saw a warm sun and clouds. The dome was gone.

"How?" Billie asked confused.

"The dome was probably tied to the Brotherhood themselves." Paige explained. "With each member you vanquished, their spell weakened. When you vanquished the last one, the entire city was freed."

"Why are you here?" Billie asked.

"I felt you dying as soon as the dome disappeared." Paige said. "I knew you needed me."

"Thank you." Billie said. "I thought I was dead."

"You mean you thought you had sacrificed yourself?" Jake suddenly said angrily as he pulled her to her feet. "How could you be so selfish?"

"Selfish? I did what I had to!" Billie snapped at him as she pushed him away.

"No, you were on some crazy suicide run. You didn't care whether you lived or died. All you wanted was revenge." Jake argued. "That is being selfish."

"Screw you!" Billie called out.

"He is right, Billie." Duncan suddenly said.

"Oh, now the two of you suddenly agree on something?" Billie remarked.

"They are not the only ones." Hope added reluctantly.

Billie looked around at all her friends and saw they were all angry with her, even Violet, though she seemed more upset than angry and avoided eye contact by looking at her feet. None of them understood. She tried to save them all, so how could they blame her for that?

"Okay, everyone calm down." Paige said as she raised her arms. "I know you all have been through a lot. You're tired and emotional. Now is not the time to discuss this."

"So what happens now?" Duncan asked.

"The Elders and the Tribunal have already begun to deal with the exposure." Paige said. "I don't know the details, but I am sure everything will be taken care of. I think the most important thing now is that you all get some rest. You can deal with everything else tomorrow."

"Do you know about Mikelle?" Violet asked saddened.

"I sensed it." Paige admitted. "I knew she was a close friend. I am so sorry… I think losing her makes it all the more important that you take time to rest and heal. You shouldn't say or do anything you might regret. You all need to process what happened."

"Easier said than done." Billie remarked.

"I really need to go check on my husband and sisters." Paige said. "Tyler, come on, we need to get home. You're my responsibility and the others need time. Besides, I am sure Henry and my sisters are worried about you."

"Fine, I guess you're right." Tyler admitted with a sigh.

"You know you can always call me if you need anything, right? All of you." Paige said. She then grabbed Tyler tightly and they disappeared in a swirl of orbs.

"Guys, I hate having to leave like this, but my first priority is making sure the box is safe." Hope said.

"We understand. We'll talk soon." Duncan replied.

"I am leaving as well." Jake added. "Billie?"

Billie felt Jake put a hand on her shoulder, but she turned away. She was furious and could not deal with him right now. She heard him mumbling angrily while leaving along with Hope. As the door slammed shut, the hall grew silent.

"We should go home." Violet said after a while.

"You go ahead." Billie replied.

"You are coming too." Duncan said. "You're not okay, Billie. We are all grieving for Mikelle, but not like this. You nearly died to get revenge on Klea."

"Why can't you understand that I did was what needed?" Billie snapped at him. "I avenged Mikelle and saved the city, what more do you want from me?"

"You need to care, Billie." Violet replied with a serious tone. "Jake was right, you came here ready to die. You're our friend, we need you to talk to us and trust us, not shut us out."

"People around me only get hurt." Billie said angrily. "And since you don't seem understand that, I am going to be clear… I am done. I am done with the Chosen and done with being your friend. So just leave me alone."

Billie started running out of the hallway and heard the others call after them, though she ignored them. Even though she had just saved the entire city, it felt like her entire world was crumbling down around her. What was the point of having friends if they did not understand? She didn't need people around her to judge her or get killed because of her. In that case, she was better off alone.

Xxx

Mayor Amanda Freeman sat behind her desk with her hands wrapped around the ruby amulet. Her city was freed and the direct threat was over. The forces of magic would probably attempt to erase the memories of all mortals, but she would not forget. The amulet would make sure of that. She swore to herself that this was the last time magic would threaten her city.

When there was a knock on the door, the mayor quickly placed the amulet around her neck and out of sight. The door opened and agent Murphy stepped in. She signaled him to sit down.

"Good, you're here." The mayor said. "We need to talk."

"Talk about what?" Murphy asked.

"About how we're going to protect this city for the threat of magic, starting with those witches that always seem to be involved." The mayor replied in a determined tone.

xxx

The End

Thank you for reading and please review!


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